Gas producer



Sept. 11, 1923. 11,467,955

\ D. J. SMITH GAS PRODUCER Filed'Npv. 10 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTOE/VEKJ Sept. 11, was.

D. J. SMITH GAS PRODUCER Filed Nov. 10 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 11, 1923.

. l T E l I S httw ifi' ATNT FFHQCE.

AVI OSE H SMI H, OF LO D N, E G ASSIGNQB, BY E N A ENTS, T0 AUTOMOTIVE GAS rnonuonn oonrona'rron, A coaroaarrron or DELAWARE.

GA$ PRODUCER.

Application filed November 10, 1919.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID JOSEPH SMITH,

a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of 40 Toodberry Grove, Finsbury Park, London, N. 4, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Connected with Gas Producers, of which the following is the specification. This inventionrelates to the type of gas producer in which mechanical means are employed for effecting one or more of the functions of the producer, as for example, moving or rotating the fire-grate and positively feeding the fuel.

The object of the invention is to provide means for performing mechanically some .or all of the functions of the producer andespecially to provide alternative means in pro ducers, for mechanically operating the pro ducer in order that it may beoperated inde pendently of the internal combustion engine or the like to which the producer supplie -as. I a In this invention the boiler is made of such form and material as to resist suitable steam pressures within same. It may be can tended from the main portion of the boiler at the top of the producerdownwardly surrounding the producer in hollow concentric cylindrical walls, said walls-may extend only partly down or wholly, namely, as far as the ashpan. An annular projection from the upper part of the boiler maybe provided eX- tending downwardly toward the fire.

The feed'to the boiler is effected in a known manner and the boiler may be fitted with suitable pressure and water" gauges with :usual boiler fittings.

The steam generated by the boiler is conveyed to and drivesa steam engine of any usual type and the steam engine effects the mechanical working of some or all of the positively driven operations of the producer. The exhaust steam either whollyor in part may be ledinto the ashpan for the supply of the producer by means preferablyfof 'a conical nozzle fitted inside a larger tube to induce .or inject air with the .steam into the ashpan. The outletor nozzle jet may be made variable in order to. control the quality oriquantity ofthe gas produced.

In such a pressure producer the steamengine may serve to drive the fan :for the air supply which-may be delivered to the said pipe surrounding the said nozzle.

Serial No. 336,863.

In order to obtain rapid increases of gas supply or otherwise meet sudden demands upon the producer, live steam may be delivered directly to the ashpan or through the said nozzle as maybe desired.

The speed of the steam engine may be controlled in any known manner in accordance with the quantity of gas required, and may also be controlled independently by hand, such controls of the producer as used on a vehicle may be upon the steering wheel or placed adjacent the driver.

While it is not intended to usually generate more steam than is required for the small power engine to drive the producer, a larger quantity may be produced by increasing the heating surface of the boiler and may be used if a larger engine is employed not only to drive the producer, but to actuate other machinery, as for example, when the pro.- ducer is fitted to motor vehicles. the said steam engine may be used to furnish power for electric lighting of the lamps of the vehicle or for like purposes.

When the producer is used for firing steam boilers or heating furnaces or the like, the speed of the engine and therefore the genera tion of gas is regulated by the pressure and temperature of the said boiler and furnace.

If any form of mechanical scrubber is used in connection with the .gas producer the power for working this scrubber may also be-supplied bythe steam engine.

And in order that my invention may be completely understood reference should be made to the accompanying sheet of drawings which illustrates one mode of carrying the invention into effect. but it will be understood that many modifications in details of construction may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the producer with steam engine fitted thereto for mechanically operating the producer.

Fig. 2 is a half sectional elevation shown at right angles to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view to a larger scale of the steam air injectoror conical nozzle.

In Figs. 1 and '2, '1 is the body or outer casing of the producer, this alsoconstitutes the outer shell of the boiler 2, the innershell 3 of which is shown in thehaltsection, Fig. 2. The shell 3 forms the wall of the producer furnace with or without lirebrick .or

like refractory lining, The upper portion of the boiler chamber 2 is of increased annular area as shown. The water level in the boiler is always above the part t of the inner cas ing wall, the uppermost portion of the annular space 2 forming the steam space. The water delivery pipe 4 to the boiler is so placed as to deliver just above the boiler plate surface marked 4 in the section. An

annular depending or projecting part 4? is preferably formed integrally with the lower wall of the annular chamber 2. The dependin part 4? projects downwardly nearer to the urnace. The fuel bed rests upon and is constantly agitated by the rocking firebars 5 shown in section in Fig. 2. 1 Half of the firebars in the grate are operated by means of cams secured upon the shaft 6, the said cams being so arranged as to oscillate the said firebars successively. Half of the cams are mounted on the shaft 6, and half on the shaft 7. The shafts 6 and 7 are arranged at opposite sides of the ashpan below the firebars, the firebars being alternately arranged, so that as shown in Fig. 2, the first, third, and like successive alternate bars or group of bars are pivoted upon the shaft 6 and operated by cams upon the shaft 7. The firebars 5 and 5 are pivoted as shown at 6 and 6 upon the shaft 6, and are operated by cams upon the opposite shaft 7. The group of two or more bars 5 is pivoted upon the shaft 7 see Fig. 1, and is operated by the cam 5 on the shaft 6, thus in this construction both of the shafts 6 and 7 serve for alternately arranged bars as pivots on the one side, and to carry cam operating means on the other. The two shafts 6- and 7are rotated simultaneously by means of the worms 8 and 9 respectively which are keyed upon the crank shaft 10 of the steam engine 11. The said worms mesh with the worm wheels 12 and 13 respectively, which worm wheels are keyed on the ends of the shafts 6 and 7 respectively. The steam engine 11 is bolted to the side wall of the ashpan of the producer. The steam engine 11 is of any suitable or usual construction. The eccentric 14:, the sheave of which is secured upon the shaft 7 serves to operate the force pump 15 which supplies water to the boiler by the pipe 4 and water to the feed heater not shown, which feed heater if employed may also be operated by the said steam engine. The eccentric 16 keyed upon the shaft 6 operates by means of its strap the two rods or links 17 18, the end of the rod or link 17 is pivoted to the end of the rocking arm 19, which arm by means of the one-way or free-wheel clutch 20 (which clutch is of knownor ordinary construction) slowly rotates the worm fuel feed 21 mounted in the fuel pipe 22, the hopper of which is not shown. The link 18 operated by the same eccentric is connected to the rocking arm 23 which by means of the one-way clutch 24 operates the ash discharge device 2 1* which is a rotating cylindrical plug in a casing, the plug being formed with a port or opening thereln which is alternately'presented to the ashpan and filled with ash and then on being turned 180 degrees, the ash is discharged through the bottom of the casing 24*. The ashpan 25 is of greater capacity than usual, and is provided with two doors 26, 27, in order more conveniently to permit of removal and replacing of the rocking firebars 5, or to effect adjustment of same. The steam isfed from the boiler to the steam engine by the pipe 28 and the exhaust steam from the steam engine is led to the conical nozzle injector 29 by the pipe 30. This conical nozzle injector. is shown to a larger scale in Fig. 3. The exhaust steam is delivered to the ashpan through the injector through the control two-way cook 31 having the handle 32. In the one position of the cock, the steam maypass to the said nozzle 33 and in the other position of the cock thepassage-to the pipe 33 may be closed, and the steam permitted to run to waste by the outlet 34:. The exhaust steam delivered to the conical nozzle 29 causes air to be injected therewith through the perforations 35 and delivered together with the steam into the ashpan, whence it passes through the'firebars 5 to the furnace. The control of the air is effected by the ring shutter 36 provided with a ring of perforations adapted to register with the perforations 35, so that by turning the handle 37 the quantity of air permitted to enter may be controlled and varied. The engine crank shaft 10 is extended as shown in Fig. 1, and a pulley or the like 10 maybe mounted thereon to drive any other mechanism that may be required, as for example, the lighting dynamo upon a motor vehicle. The gas outlet pipe 38 from the producer is provided with the right angle branch 39 having thetwo-way cock 40, so that when starting the producer, the cock may be turned in order that the gases supplied by the producer may be run to waste through the outlet 39, .until the furnace is in a condition to operate satisfactorily, when the outlet 39 is closed and the gas passes away to the internal combustion engine or the like through the pipe 38. The centrifugal fan within the fan casing 41 is used for starting. This delivers air direct to the ashpan. v

Another pipe not shown may be connected tothe steam cock 28 to deliver live steam if desired to the conical nozzle 29 through the pipe 33, in which case the plug valve 31 would be a three way plug instead of a twoway, as shown.

What I do claim as my invention and de sire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a gas producer, a jacket orannular casing surrounding the producer and forming a boiler heated by the producer, a steam engine mounted upon the producer with a. connection to said boiler whereby it is operated by steam from said boiler, means for operating the movable parts of the producer from the engine, and means for injecting the exhaust steam from. the said steam engine together with air into the ashpan of the producer.

2. In a gas producer, the combination therewith, of a boiler heated by the producer furnace, a steam engine mounted upon the producer and supplied with steam by the said boiler, and means whereby the movable parts essential to the operation of the producer are operated from the engine.

3. In a gas producer, the combination with a producer having rocking firebars, of a boiler heated by the producer furnace, a steam engine mounted upon the producer and supplied with steam by the said boiler, and means for operating continuously the firebars of the producer from the engine.

4:. In a gas producer, a steam boiler constructed as a jacket or casing for the producer, a steam engine mounted upon the producer, an operative connection between the boiler and engine, a fuel feed, an ash discharge, a pump for supplying water to the boiler, and means for operating the fuel feed, the ash discharge and the pump from the engine.

5. In a gas producer, a boiler heated by the producer, a steam engine supplied with steam from the boiler, shafts, rocking firebars on the shafts, and gearing for connecting each end of the engine shaft with the shafts of the rocking firebars.

6. In a gas producer, a producer having rockable firebars, a boiler heated by the producer, a steam engine supplied with steam from the boiler, means whereby the firebars are continuously and successively operated from the engine, an injector receiving the exhaust steam from the said boiler and connected with the ashpan of the producer, whereby air and steam are injected direct into the ashpan of the producer.

7. In a gas producer, as covered by claim 6, controlling means upon the injector, whereby the steam supplied thereto may be controlled or shut off, substantially as described.

8. In a gas producer, as covered in claim 6, controlling means upon the injector whereby the air supplied to the said injector may be controlled independently of or separately from the steam control.

9. In a gas producer, a producer having rockable firebars, a fuel feed, and an ash discharge, a boiler heated by the producer, an engine supplied with steam from the boiler, means for operating the firebars from both sides of the producer from the engine shaft, means for operating the fuel feed from the engine shaft, means for operating the ash discharge from said shaft, a water pump for the boiler supply, and means for operating the pump from the engine shaft.

DAVID JOSEPH SMITH. 

